For a brief moment, a stunned Takakai instinctively wondered if he had stumbled into an erotic world, suspecting that the girl he knew had fallen under some corruption curse—why else would she call him master the moment they met, nuzzling against him while clinging tightly?
But he quickly realized: Hayasaka Ai was likely suffering from lingering aftereffects of her previous dog transformation, which led to this uncharacteristically affectionate behavior.
"Master... I-I mean, Takakai-san... I-I just called you that without thinking..."
Now fully aware of what she had just done, the blushing girl buried her face against Takakai's chest, her voice trembling with embarrassment—yet she refused to pull away.
A fierce battle raged in her mind between instinct and reason.
An overwhelming urge to act spoiled nearly crushed all restraint—she wanted to press against him, lick him, have him pat her head, roll around on him, play all sorts of games together. Meanwhile, her rationality desperately yanked her back, warning her to stay composed, to maintain the dignity of the Hayasaka family's next generation, to—
"Woof... uuu..."
A soft, puppy-like whimper slipped naturally from Hayasaka's lips.
Takakai's gaze sharpened.
He could tell—his little maid was deeply affected by the aftermath. Those three days as a dog in Shirasawa Elementary had left severe psychological scars, and recovery would take considerable effort. What he didn't know was that the KP "Scribe"'s reckless rule modifications had pushed her canine instincts even closer to the brink, to the point where last night, she couldn't even dress herself without Kaguya's help.
And now, reunited with Takakai, the girl's already unstable mental state took another nosedive.
Because this is her master, after all.
She wanted to pounce on him.
She wanted to nuzzle his face, to lick him.
She wanted him to hold her while they slept, to stay by his side every second.
Ahh... Master, my master... N-no, what am I doing?! Stop! Stop this right now! I need to act normal—this is so embarrassing! He's going to think I'm weird!
Hayasaka buried her face deeper into Takakai's chest, as if trying to disappear into him.
"..."
Naturally, Takakai couldn't hear her internal screaming. But understanding the situation wasn't hard—her expression, as if she'd swallowed some origami-style love potion, was way too easy to read.
Yeah, she's in bad shape.
His face turned grave.
This level of aftereffect was clearly life-disrupting.
I need to help her recover. She can't stay like this.
As he pondered, one hand settled on Hayasaka's waist—while the other, moving on instinct, drifted lower and gave her backside a light pat.
"Hyaah?!"
The golden-haired girl shuddered, looking up at him with the teary eyes of a bullied puppy.
At that moment, only one word echoed in Takakai's mind:
FIGHT!
—Wait, no! Even if he wanted to, he shouldn't take advantage of her mental state. She needed proper treatment—once she recovered, wouldn't he have all the chances he wanted? Being a creep now was just unethical. Right, right—if her issue was dog instincts, then he should remind her of the joys of being human, using methods a dog could never replicate to make her embrace her femininity. Wait, no, why did his thoughts loop back here again?!
Let it be known: Takakai was a horndog. And when it came to resisting lewd temptations, his willpower was notoriously unreliable—especially when no urgent matters weighed on him.
"Hayasaka... no, mind if I call you 'Ai-chan'? You can just call me 'Kai' too."
Exhaling slowly, he moved his hand back to her slender waist and spoke as calmly as possible.
"...Can't I call you 'Master'?"
Her sapphire eyes locked onto his, her voice carrying an almost succubus-like allure.
"..."
Takakai's words died in his throat.
Unlike Maki or Chika, who were sheltered noble girls, Hayasaka Ai—as Kaguya's head maid—had been trained in various skills, including how to handle men. And today, completely unintentionally, she was putting those theoretical techniques into practice for the first time... on Takakai, who had zero experience with this type of girl.
"Master..."
With a pitiful whimper, she nuzzled against his shoulder, slowly sliding her cheek along his skin—first brushing her forehead against his chin, then rising slightly on her toes to drag her soft face along his neck.
A warm breath escaped her lips, sending a shiver down his spine.
Her delicate fingers traced along his back before settling on his abdomen, gently stroking.
The sweet scent of her hair filled his nostrils.
Hayasaka pressed against him so tightly that their body heat mingled—and Takakai soon realized that beneath her coat, she might be wearing nothing at all, given how distinctly soft her curves felt.
"Can I... call you Master...? Woof... Please?"
Her intoxicated gaze, flushed cheeks, and whispered plea—along with the barely restrained urge to lick his neck—sent Takakai's morning hormones into overdrive.
His brain's processing power reduced to a single command:
FIGHT.
THEN FIGHT SOME MORE.
IT'S TIME TO BATTLE HAYASAKA AI!!!
"WHAT KIND OF SHAMELESS DISPLAY IS THIS?!"
Still in her pajamas, Kaguya sprinted between them at world-record speed, forcibly wedging herself in.
Her intervention hit a snag—Hayasaka, who usually obeyed her every whim, now clung stubbornly to Takakai, refusing to let go. This only fueled Kaguya's already foul mood, her cheeks puffing up in outrage as she physically tried to shoulder her way in, like a jealous puppy fighting for attention.
Naturally, this meant Kaguya was now also glued to Takakai, the two girls shoving against each other in his arms.
"..."
What's the proper move here?
Holding two squabbling beauties, Takakai pondered deeply.
Should I say, "Stop fighting"? Or go with, "I love you both equally"?
As he debated, a familiar presence made him glance up—only to meet Maki Shijō's disgusted glare from down the hallway.
A moment of reflection later, Takakai arrived at the optimal dialogue choice.
"Maki! Perfect timing!"
With a radiantly wholesome smile, he beckoned her over.
5 minutes later, first-floor hall of the Shinomiya estate.
Maki sipped her green tea, deliberately avoiding Takakai's gaze with a "hmph!"
"So, Kaguya-chan and Hayasaka-chan were turned into dogs by the curse, and that's why they acted like that? Ugh, feels like this 'aftereffect' is just a free pass for Kai to enjoy himself, huh?"
Fujiwara Chika, ever the analyst, summed it up bluntly.
"Obviously! And then he had the nerve to invite me to join in! Are you that desperate for a... a threesome?! Also—are you sure it's over? That KP thing, it's really gone? I don't trust this at all..."
Maki's pout lingered, but as always, her concern for Takakai outweighed her irritation. The thought of him facing such a dangerous enemy left her uneasy.
"Relax, it's handled. I can't promise nothing will ever happen again, but this particular enemy won't be bothering us."
Takakai nodded firmly.
After all, once something got sucked into his watch, it never came back out—unless it was a Remnant.
"If Kai says it's fine, then it's fine! But, um, about getting those Remnants back from the buyers... Shouldn't we talk to Mr. Kawa soon? It feels risky to delay."
Ever-trusting, Chika shifted focus to the real issue—one that demanded immediate attention.
"Right. The Market's support has been crucial. Even if you had a good reason, we need to explain things properly and return the Remnants. We can't afford misunderstandings turning allies into enemies."
Maki's tone turned serious as she backed Chika's point.
Just like that, the conversation pivoted from "Takakai fondling two girls" to actual business—proving neither Maki nor Chika were truly upset. Aside from the maids now eyeing Takakai with a mix of awe and terror, the morning's chaos was quickly forgotten.
...Well, "forgotten" might be an overstatement.
Upstairs, in Kaguya's bedroom, two people were very much still dwelling on it.
Seated on a lavish chair, Kaguya fidgeted with her pajama buttons—unfastening them, then scowling and redoing them.
Finally, she turned to Hayasaka with a complicated expression.
"..."
Silence hung for several seconds.
"HAYASAKA—PUT SOME CLOTHES ON ALREADY!"
Her shriek of frustration was met with a resigned sigh from the golden-haired girl, who had, indeed, been caught fully exposed.